{"id":63036,"date":"2024-02-22T08:31:06","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T08:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/humayun-saeed-talks-tough-the-crown-audition-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-02-22T08:31:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T08:31:06","slug":"humayun-saeed-talks-tough-the-crown-audition-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/humayun-saeed-talks-tough-the-crown-audition-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Humayun Saeed talks tough \u2018The Crown\u2019 audition | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Marking his entry into the global entertainment scene with the acclaimed Netflix series The Crown<\/em>, Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed graced the couch on Mohib Mirza\u2019s chat show<\/a> for a candid interview on the challenges of achieving success, filmmaking in Pakistan and his own experiences working as a producer and actor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a producer first then an actor. I ended up working in my first production because I didn\u2019t have to pay myself,\u201d Humayun joked about balancing the many responsibilities of a producer alongside tight budgets. \u201cSomeone watched my first drama and said this drama is very badly made\u2026but you\u2019re okay,\u201d he shared how the media personality offered him a role in his show Yeh Jahaan<\/em> in 1996 that launched him as an actor.<\/p>\n

Despite his acting career kicking off, Humayun continued to produce dramas. As per the celebrity, part of what made the process appealing was the frequent prospects of travel. \u201cIt was very exciting for me. It would seem I was in production only so I could travel abroad,\u201d he confessed with a laugh. \u201cMy first production was overseas. Then I went to Malaysia, Turkey, America for a lot of plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Indian films and Pakistani cinemas<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, the actor contended that a major reason why dramas nowadays are typically unable to shoot outside Pakistan is financial feasibility. \u201cBack in the day, a drama could be made within a set cost. I remember I could wrap up a whole drama in just 50 lacs. Now the costs have climbed so high, even a single episode wouldn\u2019t be made in this amount,\u201d he added. Even in terms of stories, the ones with a domestic, localised focus are better received, Humayun observed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Covid-19, people lost the habit of going to cinemas. Even I didn\u2019t go to a cinema then for a whole two years,\u201d he disclosed. The Bin Roye<\/em> star recalled the time when Pakistani films were playing in theatres alongside Indian offerings, the two creating an inviting and dynamic catalogue of films for cinemagoers. He said, \u201cI\u2019m not saying that Indian films were why Pakistani cinemas were running. It is because the films were coming,\u201d attributing the flux as critical to the survival and prosperity of cinemas.<\/p>\n

Contemplating filmmaking attitudes, Humayun remarked, \u201cWhen a producer\u2019s one film doesn\u2019t take off, they take two years just to muster courage or finances to make another. So not a lot of films are made here. So Indian and Pakistani films together were sustaining a good flow\u2026that way, even a slightly better Pakistani film was liked more by people.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Too old to play young’<\/strong><\/p>\n

The interview switched gears towards his acting career whereby Humayun delved into audience criticism and how he takes it in stride. \u201cWhen my first film came out, Inteha<\/em>, I played a college student. I was 24 or 25 years old and I heard some people jibe, \u2018This Humayun Saeed guy, he looks so old and he\u2019s playing a college student.\u2019 So this kind of criticism that I receive today, I have already listened to 25 years ago when I was actually young.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elaborating on disparaging remarks about his supposed propensity for young roles across his career, he stated, \u201cI always wanted to look like a man even when I was a child. I was among those who would ulti shave<\/em> to try to grow a moustache and a beard. I would shave from my hairline because I wanted one like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino to look manly. The desire has been since then and so we keep looking manly till today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auditioning for ‘The Crown’\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The actor also discussed his global breakthrough as a recurring character of Dr Hasnat Khan on the Netflix series The Crown<\/em>. Calling it \u2018a stroke of luck,\u2019 Humayun recounted the whole process from being a fan to being offered the role and auditioning for it. \u201cI already watched the series so keenly so I couldn\u2019t believe that I was offered a character in it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never thought that as Diana\u2019s character progresses and Dr Hasnat enters, a Pakistani actor might be hired for the role,\u201d he divulged. Four seasons of the show had already passed and this was for season 5 so when I received the offer, I was overjoyed. Then they said I have to audition and I was like oh man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humayun further relayed his apprehensions regarding the audition, humourously disclosing that he wished they could have judged his skills from his face alone. \u201cThe director told me that he had seen some of my past work but an audition was necessary to evaluate how I fit in that particular role. They sent me one scene first [to audition]. Then my agent told me that 8 people from India and Pakistan are trying for the role and you\u2019re in the top 5 now. Then I received a second scene,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

From top 2 to finalist<\/strong><\/p>\n

Intensifying the selection process for Dr Hasnat, Humayun revealed that he was down with Covid-19 at that time. \u201cI had a fever, my eyes were drooping\u2026maybe this is why I was chosen,\u201d he quipped. However, to settle all his doubts, he turned to Nadir Shah, the director of 2019 film Project Ghazi<\/em> to review his rehearsal. \u201cNadir has a sensibility of a white guy, so I showed him the scene and asked him if I was speaking alright, if any words were remiss. He corrected me in some instances. Then we filmed it and sent it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comparing the excitement of the process to a game show, Humayun described how he was informed that he had made it to the top 2 after his second audition only to land a rehearsal with the series\u2019 lead Elizabeth Debicki but no decisive yes. \u201cThe whole thing happened on Zoom, we did some chitchat. As soon as the reading ended, Eric, the director, exclaimed \u2018Perfect, wonderful.\u2019 I just heard this and was like now I am in for sure. But I still wasn\u2019t selected,\u201d he exasperatedly told.<\/p>\n

In a comical turn of events, the actor\u2019s agent also went missing in action following the rehearsal. Articulating the uncertainty of the ordeal, Humayun explained how he had to tell his agent to call him only when he had a final answer. In the meanwhile, the Jawani Phir Nahi Ani<\/em> star occupied himself with manifesting a \u2018yes\u2019 but only received the congratulations once he had forgotten.<\/p>\n

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marking his entry into the global entertainment scene with the acclaimed Netflix series The Crown, Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed graced the couch on Mohib Mirza\u2019s chat show for a candid interview on the challenges of achieving success, filmmaking in Pakistan and his own experiences working as a producer and actor.\u00a0 \u201cI was a producer first 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